Meter-prover attachment.



E. C WEISGERBER. METER PROVER ATTACHMENT. APPLICATION FILED JAN. 6.1916.

Patented Aug. 29, 1916.

1-1 G. 1 F! 132 O 4 WITNESSES -11 NaRms psrs/es cow. p-ow.|.nuo.,WASHINGTON. n c.

UNITE TA% FTENT UFFTTJTQ.

ED'WIN C. WEISGERBEBI, OF PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TOEQUITABLE METER COMPANY, OF PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION OFPENN- SYLVANIA.

METER-PROVER ATTACHMENT.

Specification of Letters Patent,

mam Aug. 29, 1a1e.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, EDWIN C. Wnrscnnnnn, a citizen of the United States,and resident of Pittsburgh, in the county of Allegheny and State ofPennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inMeter-Prover Attachments, of which the following is a specification.

A type 01 meter prover now in general use is in the form of a miniaturegas holder, the same consisting of a tank-like base portion and avertically movable telescoping dome, the latter being suspended from acord which passes over an elevated sheave with its depending portioncounterweighted and provided with a hand-hold or grip for manuallyelevating the dome and thereby filling the holder for a meter provingoperation. This manual manipulation is laborious, due not only to theweight of the dome, but also to the fact that when moving upwardly thedome acts as a pump for filling the holder with air. Also, the hand manipulation seriously retards the work of the operator. While theobjection would not be pronounced in the proving of one or two meters,it assumes serious proportions when the apparatus is in use for anextended period as when testing meters in large numbers.

The present invention is designed to decrease the necessary manualeffort and at the same time speed the operation by providing mechanicalmeans for elevating the prover dome, such means being preferablyembodied in a cylinder to which air or other fluid under pressure may beadmitted, the piston rod of the cylinder being maintained in operativerelation with the dome or its supporting cord and adapted by simplymanipulating a valve to raise the dome into filled or set position. Andthe arrangement is preferably such that after the dome has been elevatedthe power device is returned to position for again elevating the domeafter the prover has been emptied.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of meterproving apparatus of the above mentioned type equipped with themechanical setting device of the present invention, and Fig. 2 is asectional elevation of the latter taken at right angles to Fig. 1. Fig.3 is a top plan view of the cord-embracing arm carried by the pistonrod, and Fig. 4 is a sectional detail of the two-way valve.

Referring to the drawings, 2 designates the tank-like base of theprover, and 3 the telescoping dome thereof suspended from cord 1, thelatter passing over sheave 5 with its depending portion 4:counterweighted at (S and provided with hand-hold or grip 7, all beingof usual and well known construction.

The mechanism of the present invention is designed to cooperate withdepending portion 1 of the cord and grip 7. As here embodied, themechanism for mechanically elevating the dome consists of uprightcylinder 8, piston 9, and piston rod 10 movable through the upper end ofthe cylinder, an arm 11 projecting from the rod and having its extremitybifurcated at 12 to loosely embrace the cord above grip 7. Pipes 13extending from opposite ends of the cylinder are connected to valvecasing 141, the latter also provided with a fluid pressure connec tion15 and exhaust 16. The two-way plug valve 17 is thus adapted to admitair or other fluid under pressure to either end of the cylinder andsimultaneously exhaust the opposite end thereof. The valve handle 18 iswithin convenient reach of the operators position in front of theprover.

In Fig. 1 the dome Off the prover is shown in elevated position andhence with portion 4 of its suspending cord fully depressed, the meterbeing thus fully charged. and ready for a proving operation. As suchoperation proceeds, dome 3 lowers and a corresponding upward movement isimparted to cord part 4: and to grip 7. At the completion of the provingoperation when the holder is empty or nearly so, grip 7 has beenelevated to position adjacent arm 11, and to recharge the prover it isonly necessary to manipulate the valve in such manner as to admit fluidto the upper end of the cylinder and exhaust its lower end, therebylowering the counterweighted portion of the dome suspending cord andraising the dome, grip 7 serving as a stop which is engaged. by arm 11.When the dome has been elevated as required, the valve is reversed,thereby raising the piston rod and arm 11 to the position shown in Fig.1 and in readiness for the next dome raising movement. 1

The operation of the prover is Well understood by those skilled in theart and need not be described herein. Usually, the meter M to be testedis supported on a table 19 closely adjacent the prover to which themeter is connected by hose 20.

I claim:

1. The combination With a meter prover dome, and a Vertically movabledome supporting cord provided with a stop, of a vertically movable cordembracing device adapted to engage said stop for elevating the dome,said device and cord being movable independently of each other exceptingwhen raising the dome.

2. The combination with a meter prover dome, and a vertically movabledome suspending cord provided With a stop, of a fluid-pressure cylinder,means for admitting and for exhausting fluid from each end thereof, apiston and piston rod for the cylinder, and an arm projecting from thepiston rod loosely embracing said cord and adapted to engage said stopfor raising the dome.

3. The combination with a meter prover dome, and a vertically movabledome suspending cord provided with a stop, of a cylinder, a two-wayvalve having fluid pressure and exhaust connections, pipes extendingfrom the valve to opposite ends of the cylinder with the valve adaptedto admit fluid under pressure to either of said pipes and simultaneouslyopen the other pipe to the exhaust, a piston and piston rod for thecylinder, and an arm projecting from the piston rod loosely embracingsaid cord and adapted to engage said stop for raising the dome.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

EDWIN C. TVEISGERBER.

Vitnesses J. M. NESBIT, ELLA MCCONNELL.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C.

